What that means is that they allow access for local American IP addresses only.

In general, your IP address is your online fingerprint.

Your IP address is the internet’s way of knowing where you are from, so it will serve relevant content to you.

Any website you go into sends a request to your computer or mobile device to receive this information.

There are legal and copyright issues that prevent official streaming channels from allowing people to stream their content outside the US.

For this reason, they are obliged to detect their users’ IP address and block out IP addresses from foreign Countries.

Here are a couple of examples of how it looks like when they block you:

In addition, most networks and broadcasting channels are tied up with advertising deals, royalty payments, licensing fees, and sponsorships.

There are literally millions of dollars evolving around the American consumer who’s tax dollars or membership fees may go to subsidize some of the content, and advertisers who pay to target their products to American audience only.

When non-US traffic comes in to stream this content, they place the broadcasting services in legal and financial risk. These are the reasons US television is inaccessible from other Countries.

These days, people (myself included) don’t really care about the streaming channels’ problems.

We all know there is good television to watch, and we see no reason why we shouldn’t be able to do so.

The internet should be accessible to everyone, and just because streaming websites haven’t got their business model sorted out and aligned with the 21st century, does not concern anyone but them.

How to watch US TV outside the US with a VPN?

By using a VPN you can trick the very mechanism that blocks you from watching us television online.

When you are connected through a VPN (Virtual Private Network) connection, you hide your IP address and encrypt your browsing session.

You can choose a US-based IP address, and make it seem as if your Geo-location is in the USA.

On the more advanced VPN’s you get extra encryption and security layers which prevent your original IP to ever be detected or traced back to you.

Step-by-Step Tutorial

Pick a VPN of your choice. You can read my recommendations for the best VPN for watching US television online. There are certain things you should keep an eye for before making your choice.

Install and activate your VPN client.

Once activated, choose a US location and connect to US servers. This will change your IP address to an American IP address.

You can now access and watch US television through any broadcasting channel or streaming service you want. the internet currently sees you as an American user.

What to look for in a VPN for unblocking US television?

To make it simple and easy, I’ve prepared a list of features (sorted by importance) that you should look for when shopping for a VPN.

If you want to watch US television from outside the US, pay close attention to the features provided by the VPN you choose to stream with.

Speed – Look specifically for download speed. For optimal streaming, I recommend a download speed which is not lower than 70 Mbps.

Unlimited Bandwidth – Don’t let bandwidth limitations stand in your way. Limited bandwidth would slow down your streaming speed up to the point where you can’t watch anything. Always choose a VPN with unlimited bandwidth.

A large variety of US servers -In some cases, streaming services are actively blacklisting IP address commonly used by VPN’s. This is why you should look for a VPN that can re-route you through thousands of different servers.

Compatibility with different devices and operating systems – Streaming comes in all shapes and forms. Some people like to watch on their laptops, some on their smart TV and some on their Tablets. Whichever device you use, you should make sure it is compatible with your VPN.

Multi-device connection – Why settle for watching on 1 device, when some VPN’s let you set up 7 simultaneous connections? Make sure you get a VPN which answers your needs.

Unblocks advanced streaming services – Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime and HBO now, have very strong VPN detection bots and are constantly fighting back against VPN usage. Only the strongest VPN’s are still able to override those Bots. If you intend to watch Netflix, make sure you get a VPN that supports Netflix.

Kill Switch – If your VPN gets disconnected for some reason, the kill switch will ensure your IP address isn’t exposed. If your IP becomes exposed you won’t be able to keep watching what you’ve been watching before the VPN got disconnected.

What is the best VPN for watching US television?

ExpressVPN is probably the best VPN for streaming US television. ExpressVPN answers each and every requirement on the list and more.

Highlights:

Average download speed of 85 Mbps.

Unlimited Bandwidth

1500 servers

Supports Netflix, Hulu, HBO, etc..

ExpressVPN also has one of the best customer support service, which may sound secondary but that’s only until you need assistance, facing some technical problems or just wanting to learn more about the VPN features.

Daniel Krupp is the editor in chief of vpnlocker.com. He Served at an intelligence unit at the US military, specializing in Cyber-Security. This is where he first learned the importance of cyber-security and the tools that should be used to accomplish it. He became an expert in understanding and utilizing VPN’s and other proxies to unblock websites and online services. Daniel consults and writes VPN reviews, VPN guides and useful tricks and hacks for a better, freer internet.